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Home » Career Services » Choosing a Major

Personal Development & Counseling Services

Along with the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Inventory, Personal Development & Counseling Services offers Career Counseling. Call the office to schedule an appointment. Use the information below to help prepare for the appointment.

• Career Counseling Basics
• Possible Career Counseling Interview Questions

Career Counseling Basics

Tools commonly used by Personal Development & Counseling Services for career counseling:

• One-on-one Interview
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Values in Action (VIA) Classification

What is Personal Development & Counseling Services?

Professional Development & Counseling Services is an intergral part of the overall wellness initiative at Northwest Missouri State University. We strive to meet students' needs in the transition to college and beyond. We are funded by your student health fees.

What is the role of a Counselor?

In counseling, the Counselor works to:

• Provide unbiased opinions and feedback.
• Assist you in becoming more aware of your feelings and accepting them as an important part of your self.
• Help you discover a range of healthy choices available to you.
• Assist you in discovering and making the most of your strengths.
• Support you in finding ways to cope with difficult situations and overcome unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns.

What about my privacy?

Your confidentiality is our priority. Only the professional staff of the Personal Development & Counseling Services are authorized to see information contained in your file, and we do not share this information with your parents or other university personnel. Student workers do not have access to this information. If you feel especially uncomfortable, we invite you to discuss your concerns with us, and we will attempt to accommodate your needs.

The professional staff at the Personal Development & Counseling Services have advanced degrees in psychology, counseling, or social work. If you are interested, please see the Staff bios on our web page.

I think I want to come in for counseling….What do I need to do?

The first appointment is called an Intake. To schedule an Intake, please call 562-1220. Before the Intake appointment, you will be asked to fill out some paperwork. During the Intake session, the counselor will assess your concerns, review the paperwork with you, and strategize approaches for helping your achieve your goals.

Here are some tips for your first session:

1. Write down your concerns and questions beforehand. Sometimes they are hard to remember!
2. Think about the history of your concern, and identify important people and events that are influencing how you feel.
3. Remember that it is OK (and normal!) to be nervous the first time you come in.

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Possible Career Counseling Interview Questions

The following questions may help you know what to expect in a counseling session. You may also benefit from asking yourself these questions and writing down your answers.

• What kind of decision are you trying to make?
• What made you decide to seek help at this time?
• What options are you considering and why? Have you ruled any areas out completely and why?
• What have you done to try to help yourself decide?
• How did you choose your current major? (This would include information about any previous majors and how decisions about those were made also.)
• Who have you talked to about this decision? What suggestions and opinions have they given you?
• What work and/or volunteer experience do you have? What did you like most and least about each job? What do your experiences tell you about what type of activities you want to do (or not do) in your career?
• What are your favorite school subjects (both high school and college)? Which subjects do you make the best grades in?
• What school subjects do you dislike the most? Make the lowest grades in?
• What hobbies and/or leisure time activities do you have?
• How would someone who knows you well describe your personality?
• What talents and skills do you have?
• What kinds of things are you looking for in a career?
• What would an ideal day or week at work be like for you?
• When it comes to your future, what are you most afraid of? Most excited about?
• When you picture yourself 10 years down the road, what kind of attire are you wearing to work?
• If you could do anything, and you knew that everyone important to you would approve of your choice and that you would be successful at it, what would you pursue?

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